User:Montgomery Irving/Krzysztof Karoń

Krzysztof Karoń (born February 3 [note needed] 1955 in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, died April 22, 2023 there) - Polish historian, publicist, philosopher, writer, scientist, teacher, blogger, YouTuber, author of the series of lectures "Social Knowledge Program". He gained popularity among the Polish conservative right thanks to his cultural YouTube channel - a social knowledge program that he ran since March 2011.

Private Life
He was born in 1955 in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, into a teaching family. He lived in Warsaw, where he graduated from high school. At least a master's degree in architecture or art history, architecture lecturer. When asked about his private life, he asked not to focus on him, but only on the topic of the debate.

He died on April 22, 2023 due to cancer.

Work
From 1990, he worked for A.R KARO., a company that designs and implements printing of advertising publications.

Since 1994, he cooperated with the manufacturer of equipment for professional colour assessment - KAROŃ Lettero Production Sp. z o. o.

Karoń published two books on graphics, computer typesetting and printing: Color management: theory and practice (Warsaw, 1998) and Printing techniques and computers (Warsaw, 2000).

At the beginning of the 21st century, he ran the Kultura café, which, in addition to catering services, offered printing services.

In 2010, he founded the website "World Museum" (historiasztuki.com.pl), where he published his own studies in the field of the history of art and culture.

In March 2011, he founded the YouTube channel Historia Sztuki 2011, which he later renamed into a social studies program. Initially, he published silent presentations describing the achievements of specific artists and selected issues in the field of art history. On January 21, 2016, he posted the first video with his image and voice on the channel; this film, dedicated to Altero Spinelli, was the first in the order of publication, and the 21st in a series of lectures called "Social Knowledge Program" and presenting the author's educational program in the field of social knowledge for secondary schools. This program introduces social issues, taking into account aspects from the fields of philosophy, religion, sociology, anthropology, history, economics and psychology.

In 2017, he founded the website "Social Knowledge Program" (Wiedzspoleczna.pl) where he published materials related to his journalistic activities.

In 2018, his monograph "History of anticulture" was published, for which in 2019 he received an award from the Polish-American Foundation for Education and Economic Development and was nominated for the Literary Award. Józef Mackiewicz.

In the last years of his life, starting from 2016, Karoń was active in the media, mainly online, where he spoke mainly about the threats arising from the ideology of Marxism. He hosted, among others, in online television programs: Media Narodowe, wRealu24, wPolsce.pl and PCh24.

Political Views
He declared himself a dogmatist who uncritically recognized social life as a determinant of education and self-fulfillment. He believed that the main reason for the decline of modern culture is the departure from morality shaped by Christianity, mainly Catholicism. In particular, he emphasized that the essence and primary cause of social conflicts is man's natural tendency to steal, and that to overcome it, cultural upbringing is needed, while the acquisition of limiting morality is crucial in order for societies to implement the idea of ​​not stealing from each other. The end result is to be education and the acquisition of the ability to perform work that is useful for other people (work ethos). In his considerations, Krzysztof Karoń focused primarily on the analysis of various forms of human enslavement, thus criticizing communism, socialism and capitalism. He argued that the main error in common interpretations is the problem of failing to notice things that he considers obvious facts:


 * a person is not born an adult and must be raised,
 * the child will not force himself to educate himself
 * man is not naturally good
 * freedom is an empty phrase without goods
 * goods don't produce themselves
 * a transaction in which one party does not receive an equivalent good must always constitute some form of theft.

Karoń strongly criticized Marxism, considering it to be the core of the process of human demoralization, which he called anti-culture. Fitting into the conspiracy theory regarding cultural Marxism, he claimed that Marxists, since the founding of the Frankfurt School, have been working to destroy the work ethos and the institutions that could rebuild it in the future (mainly the Church), because only in this way would they create a new proletariat ready to support them in their pursuit of power.

Moreover, he had an unfavorable assessment of the contemporary directions of development of the European Union, which he criticised as being a project implemented in the spirit of the Ventotene Manifesto.

Unfavorable opinions about Karoń's views and journalism accuse him of primitivism, bias leading to lack of consistency in the conclusions drawn, and the use of stereotypes.

Publications

 * 1998: Color management: theory and practice (Warsaw;  ISBN 83-87983-00-4)
 * 2000: Printing techniques and computers (Warsaw;  ISBN 83-87983-01-2)
 * 2016: Critical Infantilism. Notes on education reform, "Arcana" No. 129
 * 2017: History of Modern Marxism, "Arcana" No. 135
 * 2019: History of anticulture 1.0: basics of social knowledge (Warsaw;  ISBN 978-83-951952-1-1)

Prizes and Awards

 * 2023: History of anticulture – Literary Award Józefa Mackiewicza, Warsaw